An area in which the Grand Theft Auto series has always excelled is its characters. Each game has an interesting set of protagonists, antagonists, and even supporting players. That last point is especially true for Grand Theft Auto 5, as some of the game's best characters aren't even seen during the main story. Instead, they're hidden within the title's side content.
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These missions are called Strangers and Freaks, and the second half of the name is particularly appropriate as the characters in question are certainly bizarre. In fact, it's one of the only things any of them have in common as they're all unique individuals. But these are the best of the bunch.
10 Joe
Like most great Grand Theft Auto characters, Joe is a pretty terrible person. He and his friend Josef - who actually briefly appears in the main story - make up the Civil Border Patrol. The duo track down anyone they think could be an immigrant and forcibly arrest them.
It's all ludicrously hypocritical with Josef being an immigrant himself and knowing little of America. And Joe is so hilariously dim-witted that he doesn't notice.
9 Marnie Allen
During the game, Michael has a whole set of side missions about joining a religious cult called Epsilon. He is guided on his journey to find the 'truth' by Marnie Allen. While the Epsilon Program is clearly a big scam, Marnie is a true believer in it.
Her over-commitment to the cause is regularly entertaining, especially when she gives comically vague answers to some of the cult's inconsistencies. Although it's difficult not to feel sorry for the poor woman, as it seems she's just getting conned by the group. At least her life is better than in GTA IV when she was a part of one of the game's stranger missions.
8 Cletus Ewing
Most people across San Andreas are very fearful of Trevor. So, anytime someone isn't, it's cool to see. Enter Cletus, who doesn't show any hesitance when speaking to the psychopath. In fact, the two are actually friendly towards each other, which leads to some surprisingly wholesome interactions.
These occur during a couple of missions they have together. In which, Cletus delivers several humorous lines, mostly stemming from the fact that the character is a stereotypical hillbilly.
7 Mrs. Phillips
Trevor's mother is mentioned a few times throughout the main story. However, she doesn't show her face until after the credits in one of the game's secret side quests. Once she turns up in Trevor's trailer, he becomes a completely different person as he deeply craves his mother's approval.
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She doesn't get a lot of screen-time, but she's still very interesting. This is because, in her one scene, she manages to completely dress-down someone who many daren't cross at all.
6 Tonya Wiggins
Early into the game, Franklin meets Michael and embarks on his new heist-filled life. But along with Lamar, Frank's old friend Tonya is there to remind him of who he used to be.
The woman is very needy as she's always looking to her long-time friend to help her out. And towing cars for her isn't the most fun, but she makes it interesting by giving insight into the protagonist's former life. And that's what makes her a fascinating character.
5 Barry
Most Strangers and Freaks only interact with one member of the protagonist trio. However, Barry meets them all. The smartly dressed man is a heavy advocate for the legalization of cannabis. And he tries to get Michael, Trevor, and Franklin on his side.
He attempts to do so by spouting anti-establishment rhetoric and giving the characters a try of his own supply. Regardless of who he's talking to, he's always entertaining, especially when he's high.
4 Beverly Felton
Beverly Felton is a paparazzo that Franklin meets on his adventures. The guy is obsessed with celebrities and is determined to show the public everything about them. This leads to him over-stepping boundaries on multiple occasions to film them at their lowest points. Although, he doesn't see it that way as he claims that people need to see these moments.
Therefore, he's an awful human being that would make for a good antagonist if he was threatening in any way. Yet, he's so outrageous that it's funny.
3 Nigel And Mrs. Thornhill
During his time in Los Santos, Trevor can meet an odd duo called Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill. These people are an exaggerated parody of autograph hunters. Like the paparazzo Beverly, they're both obsessed with celebrities. They show their admiration by stalking famous people and stealing their possessions.
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While they come off as psychopaths to the people they love, they don't seem to realize. In fact, they lack self-awareness in general. It's what makes them such fun characters.
2 Mary-Ann Quinn
A character that all three protagonists can meet is Mary-Ann. The fitness-obsessed woman is entertaining because of all of her oddities. One of the biggest is her anger. She is perpetually shouting at either herself or the people around her with little reason.
This inability to contain her emotions makes her similar to Trevor - something the guy points out. However, she strongly refutes the claim. Other examples of her strange behavior include assuming everyone wants to sleep with her and her tendency to reveal personal information without being prompted.
1 Dom Beasley
Dom is responsible for some of the most enjoyable missions in GTA 5. Each one sees Franklin doing a high-risk stunt involving vehicles and parachutes. Throughout it all, Dom is a constant source of entertainment. Much of it comes from his insanely energetic attitude and non-stop taunting.
The things he says are hilarious enough that he doesn't get overly annoying - in a similar vein to Brucie from GTA IV. However, he should be glad he met Franklin instead of Trevor because Mr. Phillips wouldn't be too fond of the guy's barrage of insults.
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